Nuts or clips that, in the automobile industry, for example, are used to fasten panels and/or to fasten accessories to said panels are widely used. The type of nut to which the present invention refers work in a blind hole, previously made in the panels to be joined, into which the nut is inserted, a screw being that which ultimately gives rise to final locking of the nut and, as appropriate, of the elements to be joined or to be fastened to the panel.
For example, Spanish patent ES2259600 describes a clip nut of this type in which, originating from a planar base, a cylindrical sleeve is formed for the passage of the fastening screw, while, laterally, there emerge from said base surface individual opposite tabs converging toward an inner mid-point, the direction thereof then being inverted, said tabs descending, and extending, in accordance with each embodiment, as one or two tongues, the principal tongue retaining the panel and a second tongue engaging with the screw thread of the fastening screw.
Patent WO2007087884 is also known, which describes a nut of this type in which, originating from a planar base that has a threaded cylindrical passage for the passage of the fastening screw, there extend from said base individual tabs that converge toward an inner point, surfaces for contact with the screw being configured at the end of said tabs; from the inner end of said tabs, in the opposite direction than that of formation thereof, there descend independent fins that, by means of an elbow, produce locking to the panel, there being tongues in an inward direction for engaging with the screw thread of the fastening screw that, upon opening or relaxing through the action of the passage or withdrawal of the screw, give rise to or release the fastening of the nut on the panel.
This type of nut usually suffers from the problem that said nuts, owing to the way in which they are constructed, can be used satisfactorily only with a very narrow range of panel thicknesses. A further problem said nuts present is the low level of maneuverability when installing the clip on the panel. The improvement of these situations constitutes the principal object of the present invention.
A further objective pursued by the invention is, by virtue of an increase in the elastic performance of the piece, to facilitate preinstallation of the nut on the panel, a step prior to definitive fastening thereof upon insertion of the fastening nut. The actual form of the nut of the invention facilitates the insertion thereof and allows preliminary retention of the nut on the panel, thereby contributing to an enhancement of the ease of installation thereof.
These and further advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in the course of the description thereof.